Thursday, August 6, 2020, ENTERPRISE-PAGE 6 LOCAL
WEST MARSHALLThe West Marshall Board of Education
met in special session on Monday, July 20,2020, at 5:30 p.m. in Room #134 in thehigh school building. President RodneyHoneck called the meeting to order. Mem-bers present for roll call included April Coul-ter, Sue Goodman, Rod Honeck, ShawnMeyer, Bob Ranson, Jason Walker andHunter Wilkening.
Agenda: Motion by Walker, secondedby Ranson, to approve the agenda. Ayes,7; Nays, 0. Motion carried.
Welcome and Recognition of VisitorsConsent Agenda Recommendation by Mr. Large to ap-
prove the following consent agenda items:Personnel report: -Resignation of Brandon Weisert as HS
Business teacher, Yearbook sponsor, TLC,HS Asst Varsity Football Coach, HS AsstVarsity Girls Basketball Coach, HS AsstSoftball Coach, Head HS Golf Coach
Motion by Goodman, seconded byMeyer, to approve the consent agendaitems. Ayes, 7; Nays, 0. Motion carried.
New BusinessWaive second reading and approve
final reading of Policy 907 District Opera-tion During Public Emergencies: Motion byWilkening, seconded by Coulter, to waive
the second reading and approve the finalreading of policy 907. Ayes, 7; Nays, 0.Motion carried.
Approve District Return to Learn Plan.Mr. Large shared highlights from his meet-ing with the state and superintendentstoday. He is still waiting on more informa-tion and guidance from the state. Mr. Largeshared with the board our two options: 50%return or full-time return. Mr. Large alsoshared the staff training requirements toteach online. The state is going to useCARES Act money to cover costs of theCanvas basic package for districts for nextyear. Mr. Large discussed the pros/cons ofboth Canvas and Google classroom andanswered questions about cost. He sharedwith the board a FAQ document just re-leased from the Dept. of Education. TheBoard discussed thoughts on the scheduleoptions for returning to school in the fall.
Motion by Ranson, seconded byWalker,to approve returning to school fulltime in the fall. Ayes, 7; Nays, 0. Motioncarried.
Motion by Ranson, seconded byWalker, to adjourn. The meeting adjournedat 8:27 p.m.
Minutes were recorded by Mr. Tollefson. Respectfully submitted, Stephanie Edler
DES MOINES – TheIowa Secretary of State’sOffice is conducting a se-ries of workshops throughnext week to help countiesprepare for the 2020 elec-tions. The Incident Re-sponse Plan seminars takecounty auditors and staff,IT administrators and emer-gency management coordi-nators through a variety ofscenarios that could disruptelections. The goal is to en-sure all 99 counties are pre-pared for November 3. Election administrators
prepare for the worst buthope for the best. Scenarioscould include natural disas-ters, power outages and cy-berattacks. Although theCOVID-19 pandemic haspushed election cybersecu-rity out of the daily news, itremains a concern for offi-cials across the country. “Working with federal,
state and county agenciesassures Iowans that they’regetting the best protectionpossible, the A-Team I callit,” Secretary Pate said.“When we work with theIowa Department Home-land Security and Emer-gency Management and ourother partners on thecounty level, we are givingthem all the resources pos-sible to assure them that theelections are being donewith the most efficientprocess and safeguardingtheir vote.” The virtual workshops
are being conducted withthe assistance of Iowa-based information securityservices firm Pratum. Sixworkshops are scheduledand will run through Au-gust 6. The Secretary ofState’s Office, state agen-cies and county officials
also participated in a na-tionwide preparedness ex-ercise on Tuesday that wasorganized by the U.S. De-partment of Homeland Se-curity. Cooperationbetween government agen-cies is crucial for protect-ing elections. “One of our key missions
is to support local emer-gency managers as theyprepare for, respond to andrecover from disasters ofall kinds that may impacttheir communities. We areproud to partner with theIowa Secretary of State be-cause we want Iowans tobe confident that whetherthey mail in a ballot or stepin a voting booth, their voteis secure and counted inIowa,” said Joyce Flinn, di-rector of the Iowa Depart-ment of Homeland Securityand Emergency Manage-ment, whose staff facili-tated preparednessexercises in Iowa on Tues-day. Threats to elections are
constantly evolving, so en-suring Iowa is preparedahead of time protects theintegrity of the vote. “Voters can be assured
that we’re working 24hours a day, 7 days a week,365 days a year, all thetime, because their vote isthat important to us. Col-lectively all of us togethercan make sure Iowansknow their vote will becounted,” Secretary Pateadded. Election Day in Iowa is
Tuesday, November 3. Ab-sentee ballots will be avail-able beginning October 5,but Iowans can request anabsentee ballot now. VisitVoterReady.Iowa.gov formore information.
Secretary Pate partnerswith security experts to
prepare counties for2020 elections
Lincoln, Neb. –Spruce up your land-scape by joining theArbor Day Foundationin August.Everyone who joins
the Arbor Day Founda-tion with a $10 donationwill receive10 free Nor-way spruce trees or 10white flowering dog-wood trees through theFoundation’s Trees forAmerica campaign.The trees will be
shipped postpaid be-tween October 15 andDecember 10, dependingon the right time forplanting in each mem-ber’s area. The 6- to 12-inch trees are guaranteedto grow or they will bereplaced free of charge.“Norway spruce trees
truly provide year-roundbeauty for any land-scape,” said Matt Harris,chief executive of theArbor Day Foundation.“White flowering dog-wood trees will add
color and beauty to youryard throughout the year,with their showy springflowers, scarlet autumnfoliage, and red berriesthat attract songbirds inthe winter.”New members of the
Arbor Day Foundationwill also receive TheTree Book, which in-cludes information abouttree planting and care,and a subscription toArbor Day, the Founda-tion’s bimonthly publi-cation.To receive the free
Norway spruce trees,join online atarborday.org/august orsend a $10 membershipcontribution by August31 to: Ten Free Norway
Spruces ORTen Free White Dog-
woodArbor Day Foundation211 N 12th StLincoln, NE 68508
Receive 10 Free Treesby Joining the ArborDay Foundation in
August
CEDAR RAPIDS- Thefollowing student, HaleyNichols of Melbourne,graduated during MountMercy University's Sum-mer 2020 session onJune 7, 2020.Located in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, MountMercy's 1,800+ studentscome from around theglobe, creating a vibrant,diverse and open-mindedcampus community. Pop-ular undergraduate ma-jors include business,nursing, criminal justice,education and socialwork. Master's programsare offered in criminaljustice, strategic leader-ship, business adminis-tration (MBA),education, nursing, andmarriage and familytherapy. Doctoral pro-grams offered are Doctorof Nursing Practice and
Ph.D. in Marriage andFamily Therapy.For more information
on Mount Mercy Univer-sity, visit www.mt-mercy.edu.Located in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, MountMercy University is theregional Catholic, MercyUniversity that promisesstudents of diverse back-grounds, ages and faithsa challenging, practicaleducation that inspiresthem to discover knowl-edge, build communityand lead courageouslives. Mount Mercy of-fers baccalaureate andgraduate education to1,800+ enrolled studentsand uniquely blends anoutstanding liberal artseducation with equallyoutstanding professionalpreparation.
Mount Mercy University
congratulates 2020Summer graduates
Welcome to our new subscriber: LaVonne Collier
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Nothing about 2020seems normal. We areall learning to adjust toa new way of life athome, in public, or atwork. The same can besaid for children whenthey begin preschoolin the fall. Preparingyour child for a newnormal when returningto school, will be es-sential to a successfulyear.
Mask UpThe Center for Dis-
ease Control & Pre-vention (CDC)recommends face cov-erings for anyone overthe age of two. Shouldyour preschool requiremasks or face cover-ings, help your childbecome comfortablewith face coverings.Give kids time to prac-tice wearing theirmasks daily. Teachthem how to put themon and take them off.Encourage kids to se-lect a mask that fitstheir personality orcharacters they follow.Children should havemore than one maskavailable to them. Re-member to wash themasks after they havecome home.
Combine MathWith Social Distanc-ingFor younger chil-
dren, teaching socialdistance can be diffi-cult. To teach yourchild how far six feetis, first measure it outand mark it withmasking tape. Findtoys or sports equip-ment such as hulahoops and basketballsto determine howmany of each youwould need to stretchsix feet.
Sanitize OftenMake it a daily habit
to wash hands regu-larly. Children andadults need to washtheir hands before eat-ing, touching theirmouth, eyes, or nose,touching a cut orscrape. Hands shouldalso be washed aftergoing to the bathroom,being on playgroundequipment, or touch-ing the garbage. Ifyour family uses ahand sanitizer, be sure
to use one that has a60% or greater alcoholcontent.
Return to LearnPlansLike snowflakes, no
two school districts orcommunity-basedpreschools will havethe same “return tolearn” plan. We needto trust in the plan ad-ministrators have writ-ten, knowing that itwas not easy to do.Have faith in theirwork and research toprovide your childwith the best learningenvironment possible.Practice patience whenwanting questions an-swered...rememberthat our educationalleaders are chartingnew territories. Bekind, always.
Respect Other’sOpinionsParents are about to
make some crucial de-cisions about theirchild’s education. Wehave more options forlearning than we everhave had before.School - homeschool -virtual school - hybridschool. Education hasevolved. In all cases,remember these threewords - You do you.You know what is bestfor your child, andonly you can decidewhat learning environ-ment they succeed bestin. Keep your opinionto yourself, and avoidjudgment over others. As an Early Child-
hood Board, we wantto wish early learningprograms in theHardin and MarshallCounty health and suc-cess in the comingyear. Carrie Kube, Iowa
River Valley EarlyChildhood Area Direc-toriarivervalleyeca@g
mail.comDisclosure: Carrie
Kube is a Director forthe Iowa River ValleyEarly Childhood AreaBoard. All thoughtsand opinions ex-pressed are that of theauthor and not theBoard and/or its com-munity partners.
Preparing for Preschool During a
PandemicWritten by Carrie Kube,
IRVECA Director
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AMES, Iowa – Toma-toes are the most popu-lar vegetable grown inthe home garden. Whiletomatoes come in a vari-ety of shapes, sizes andcolors, they have twotypes of tomato growthhabits — determinateand indeterminate.In this week’s edition
of the Sow, Grow, Eatand Keep video by IowaState University Exten-sion and Outreach, hor-ticulture specialists offersome tips on tomatoes.Determinate tomatoes
are small, compactplants that grow to acertain height, thenflower and set all theirfruit within a short time.The harvest period fordeterminate tomatoes isgenerally four to sixweeks, making themgood choices for can-ning and fresh consump-tion. Indeterminatetomatoes continue togrow, flower and setfruit until killed by thefirst fall frost, producingyields that are slightlyhigher than determinatetypes. The fruit on inde-terminate cultivars usu-ally mature a week ortwo later than determi-nate tomatoes, but theharvest period often ex-tends over two months.View the latest video tolearn more tips on grow-ing tomatoes.The annual production
total for tomatoes is 60million tons. At thispoint in the growingseason, gardeners mayfeel as though their gar-den alone is producingthis quantity! A greatway to enjoy tomatoesyear round is with salsa.If you are canning salsa,
it is very important thatyou follow a research-based, tested recipe.If you don’t, the acid-
ity level may not behigh enough to killharmful bacteria. If youhave a family favoritesalsa recipe that is nottested for canningsafety, enjoy it fresh!Watch this educationalsalsa video to learnmore about makingsalsa.Review the ISU Ex-
tension and Outreachpublication Preserve theTaste of Summer – Can-ning: Salsa for morecanning information.Also, join the nutritionand wellness team dur-ing the complementaryFood Preservation 101online class.For those interested in
learning more about gar-dening, contact yourISU Extension and Out-reach county office forinformation about theMaster Gardener pro-gram. Training beginsacross the state this fall.The Sow, Grow, Eat
and Keep quickinars are5-15 minute online les-sons of seasonally ap-propriate topics for thegarden, food preparationand food preservation.Some of the upcomingtopics include:zucchiniapplesapplesauceFor additional re-
sources and publica-tions, visit the Sow,Grow, East and Keepwebpage. Send yourfood or garden [email protected].
Tomato Time Is Herefor Iowa Gardeners
